Eoghan Murphy (Dublin Bay South, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The housing assistance payment, or HAP, offers opportunity to families already living in the private rental sector and who require long-term assistance with their housing needs by allowing them to increase their income without the risk of losing their housing support, unlike rent supplement. Therefore, it offers families more security and allows them to plan for their future.  HAP will continue to be a flexible support available to assist people with their long-term housing needs immediately as their need arises. There are currently more than 28,500 households and 20,000 landlords and agents taking part in the scheme. On average, more than 350 households have been set up on HAP each week in 2017.

I am aware that concerns have been expressed regarding the availability of sufficient rental properties to achieve the level of ambition set out for HAP. From experience, about one third of new households receiving HAP for the first time have transferred from rent supplement in an existing tenancy; another third are households who were not in receipt of rent supplement and so are receiving financial support for the first time and are in an existing tenancy; and the last third are households who are also receiving financial support for the first time, but are moving into a new tenancy with the help of HAP support. This means that two thirds of HAP tenants are being supported within existing tenancies, while one third, or roughly 100 per week, are using HAP to secure new accommodation that they are finding on  the rental market. Budget 2018 has increased Exchequer funding for the HAP scheme by €149 million to €301 million to meet the continuing costs of existing households and the costs of meeting the additional 17,000 households, to which the Deputy referred, targeted under Rebuilding Ireland, to be supported by HAP in 2018. I am satisfied with the operation and resourcing of HAP and I am confident that we can meet the targets set under Rebuilding Ireland.

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